Warmer Sustainable Homes, Healthier People

Today we launch another initiative in our work on Healthier and Sustainable Places.

A new scheme that provides free or discounted household improvements to help residents stay warm in their homes has been launched by Hertfordshire County Council in partnership with all 10 district and borough councils.

In Hertfordshire, over 32,000 households are estimated to live in fuel poverty meaning they do not have enough money to adequately heat their home. Colder temperatures can lead to excess winter deaths. Between August 2013 and July 2016, there were 1795 excess winter deaths in Hertfordshire. The Hertfordshire Warmer Homes scheme aims to make homes easier and cheaper to heat by offering free or discounted energy efficiency measures, such as insulation and heating repair, or fuel switching advice to low-income and vulnerable households.

The World Health Organisation recommends that homes should be heated to 21°C (70°F) during the day and 18°C (64°F) at night. This is especially important for those with a young family, the over 75s or those with a long-term health condition, such as respiratory or cardiovascular disease.

The Hertfordshire Warmer Homes scheme will be managed by the National Energy Foundation, using funding from the national Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and local authority contributions. It will run to 31 October 2018.

If you know of people who would benefit from this in Hertfordshire, please help us raise awareness of this scheme by publicising it through your own channels. Anyone can find out more information by contacting HertsHelp on: 0300 123 4044 (local rate) or info@hertshelp.net. You can find out more on our Warmer Homes pages.